The Exaggerated Common Cold

[stu84]

Hi there, I'm new to the forum and been dealing with HA since I was 16 (now 24) I recently had a traumatic experience in London which developed into a Panic disorder which made me very sensitised to the simplist of bodily sensations (mainly heart palpitations and dizziness. My finger just can't keep away from my pulse these days it seems).

This is the first cold i've had since back in June (which i guess is pretty good going) Is it just me, or do all the symptoms just seem so much more exaggerated? I'm so incredibly achy, snottery nose, headache and faster heart rate like 80.

Where previously i wouldn't think twice about a cold, now i find myself doubting my body's ability to fight it :S

Usually when i have a panic attack i think i'm dying....so add a few more symptoms and i feel awful haha. I hope this clears up soon, i really don't want to add panic attacks to a run down body.

[countrygirl]

All the viruses this past year have been very nasty and seem to take ages to go away. I had gone 4 years without a cold or cough up to xmas 08 and then I got the respiratory virus from hell with terrible cough that lasted nearly 3 weeks - I honestly thought I was heading for pneumonia but 2 trips to GP and I kept been told my chest was fine it was my trachea that was inflamed but i still worried like heck that I would get a bad chest infectionf rom it but I didn't. I was well for all of a month when I got a terrible head cold that left me with evil sinus infection of nasty coloured you know what.

So I can certainly vouch for this years bugs being little devils

[Stressed32]

Stu84...I am with you!!!!! I can't say that with enough passion via this forum. I work with kids and have always gotten their junk 3-4 times a year and never thought twice of it. Now, I have HA and last week got a sinus infection (1st illness since it all came to a head with me) and it was like I had the plague My husband even told me....you are not about to die! LOL. I too questioned if my body was fighting it which lead to more HA...cancer, HIV, something really serious?? Then I had phenomia for the 1st time ever in Jan...and again I thought "never had that before is there an underlying condition causing my body to be more open to this sort of thing?"
Sinus infection is gone now, but I still have lots of clear plem and worry now that maybe something is lurking in the background...HA see what I mean?
Good luck to you hun and you are not alone.

[mummyto4]

Oh I am sooo with you on the bugs of end of 08/09. From November last year until now I have had such horrible bugs that linger for absolutely ages. Nightmare!

[Stressed32]

I read that anxiety makes your immune system work harder to keep you healthy....maybe it is us b/c of all the stress we are under and not the bugs